The News from ElephantToenails.com

In the recent series of What determines Price in Part II we looked at how the price paid for a particular knife doesn’t always reflect the market value of that knife due to either an over-motivated buyer or seller.

Now in this final installment I want to examine these sales approaches (alternatives) from a price perspective. I know there are other factors and we examined those in What is the best approach to sale for you individually based on your personal criteria. Then in Part two- Sales Alternatives we looked at the pros and cons of the different sales approaches.

The question before us now is- “Are there times the method used actually affects the price (the outcome)?” I’m talking something like a glitch or problem with the system itself that would affect the results.

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This is Part II of our topic of “What is the best approach to use to sell your collection?” In Part I we looked at questions to ask yourself. These questions are pointers to help determine which approach best fits your needs, now I want to look at the pros and cons of the different approaches.

In general, a knife is only worth what someone is willing to pay. We must ask ourselves what factors/set of circumstances can I create to create the ultimate buying environment so that when that “offer” comes in it is the maximum offer I could/can expect.

As both an auctioneer and a knife collector, I have been asked on numerous occasions which is more advantageous to sell through, the auction method, or the one-on-one negotiated sales approach. This question typically then leads to online auction, such as eBay compared to the traditional live auction format.

To look into the answers involved here we examine several aspects; first, we must examine each method’s pros and cons. (more…)

When it is time to sell your knives, what is the best approach? Should we take the knives to the next area show, put them on eBay, sell them to a dealer all at one time, or should we hire a traditional auctioneer to sell them for us?

You may be thinking, “Whoa, Scott, where the heck is this coming from? We are having fun collecting toenails here….we talk about buying, so why are you talking about selling?”

Guys one day we will sell. Heck, you never know, you might decide to start collecting butterflies or election buttons (just kidding) or simply want to reallocate your assets, if you will, or could be faced with a forced sale, or worse, an estate sale, you get my point- bottom-line, we need a plan, OK? I think about this frequently as it relates to my collection, my family and their livelihood, and what if something should happen to me. This article is not about a forced or estate sale, so cheer up, but not to think about it at all would be some form of denial, wouldn’t it?

Frequently I am asked about my auction experience and how the prices realized at auction compare to those obtained through the more traditional one-on-one approach, and more recently, how the online auctions compare, from a seller’s perspective. (more…)

Secured Party Orders Absolute & Total Liquidation!
ABSOLUTE AUCTION
70,000 Knives - Brand New Original Manufacturers Inventory - Camillus Cutlery.
54 Main Street, Camillus (Syracuse) NY 13031
with Simultaneous Online Bidding @ Bidspotter.com

Saturday, April 5, 2008 @ 11:00am
Live Internet Bidding Available for this Auction!

Click Here to leave Pre-Bids & To Register For Live Online Bidding

I pride myself on keeping up with knife auctions and must tell you these guys only allowed 6 days notification…..there was no ad in Knife World that I saw either. I just got this email of the auction today by virtue of the fact that I am an auctioneer through the National Auctioneers Association, not because I am a knife collector….go figure.

I’ll digest this more and let you know. I’m sure it will be a historic event- the final chapter of Camillus.

If you like 1) Knife folks, 2) Knife Auctions and 3) W R Case, then mark your calenders now for the Big Event for 2008! The date of the upcoming W R Case Collectors Appreciation Day is July 18th/19th in Bradford, PA.  I was honored to have been asked to be the guest auctioneer for the 2006 Swap Meet. I had a blast and guess I did an OK job because they have asked me to come back. I can’t wait.